Chocolate Mousse (Laurie)

8 oz. semi-sweet chocolate of a quality which one would not mind eating out of the bag

4 T butter

4 eggs

several drops of lemon juice or 1/8 t cream of tartar

3 T sugar

1/2-1 t vanilla

1 cup whipping cream

Separate eggs into whites and yolks. Melt chocolate and butter together in a large pot over the stove or large bowl in the microwave. Stir continuously, or every 30 seconds with "5" power to prevent burning. Allow to cool until it can be touched fairly comfortably so that the yolks don't cook when mixed in. Make sure it is still very warm, or it will be too stiff. Mix in the egg yolks. Place in refrigerator.

Whip egg whites and lemon juice until beginning to foam, and then gradually add 1 T of sugar. Continue whipping until stiff peaks form. Place in fridge.

Whip cream, 2 T of sugar, and vanilla to taste. Remove all ingredients from fridge, and mix a scoop of the egg whites into the chocolate. Then gently FOLD the rest of the egg whites in, and then gently fold the whipped cream in. Pour into wine glasses or small bowls and chill for at least 2 hours.

Makes 9-10 servings.

For whipped cream topping, whip heavy cream, sugar, and other flavorings to taste.

• Vanilla
• Peanut butter is good- mix a small amount of unwhipped cream into a small amount (less than a tablespoon) of peanut butter until smooth and runny, then add this to the vat of unwhipped cream and whip, adding sugar to taste.
• Peppermint- use peppermint extract
• Eggnog
• Amaretto